I'm posting today at the end of the day instead of the next morning, since Rachel has gone to bed nice and early and we have to be up early tomorrow for our visit to the Great Wall.

This morning the babies had their pictures taken for their visas. Rachel posed for the camera just great, good thing since she will be getting lots more pictures done when she gets home! She then had a nice nap in her crib, the first time the poor little thing has had a chance to do that, since most of her naps have been while we were on the go. Jamie took a few big bags of laundry to the nearby "Hyper Market". The men there had a laugh at him hauling in his huge suitcase full of dirty clothes.

In the afternoon we had paperwork to fill out for Rachel's visa. After that I went to our guide Mary's room, where a man was taking measurements for anyone who wanted to have a silk dress or jacket made. I decided to have a midnight blue jacket done. He took a lot of measurements, so it should be a real custom fit. I'm looking forward to getting it on Wednesday. When that was all finished Jamie and I headed out for a quick trip to the Pearl Market. We will be going there again later in the week, but this was a fun preview. We bought a few gifts, and had fun bartering with the sales people. It was quite an experience strolling the aisles, with everyone calling out to you and grabbing you by the arm to show you what they are selling. We had a great time! Rachel was a star there as usual. One lady asked to hold her, then took her over to show a few others. Rachel gave her some smiles, then started to fuss and reached for Mommy. When I took her back she looked into my eyes with such a happy look and said "Mama". She has been making "mamamama" sounds for a while but I swear she is starting to say it now for me.

We came back to the hotel and had a delicious supper at the hotel restaurant. It was the best meal we have had here so far. Rachel was a little lady and sat nicely in her high chair playing with her spoon for a good part of the meal.

We are so in love with our newest little girl. She is just a doll, so lively and so sweet at the same time. We can't wait to take her home and show her to everyone, I know you will all fall in love with her just as we have. Here are some things that you should know about her, Harrison and Quentin. She loves paper, and likes to chew on it and rip it, so be sure to keep your books and drawings away from her! She likes to slap your hands and give you five, and she likes to crinkle up her face into the cutest, funniest little expression. She likes to walk along holding our hands, and she is starting to crawl. She likes to bounce up and down, and she loves music. She likes sticking out her tongue and will sometimes make little singing sounds. She doesn't like dolls and stuffed toys, she seems a little afraid of them. In the orphanage they only have hard plastic toys that are easy to keep clean. She also is a little afraid of toys that make noise, but she is getting more used to them. I know that before long she will be used to all kinds of toys. She really likes books, though, especially to chew on!

Tomorrow we will be visiting a jade factory and the Great Wall of China. Should be a fun and busy day!